Well, technically we’ve moved! Yay! Today, our beautiful 1924 bungalow left Dundee, Fla. at 7 a.m. and pulled onto its lakefront Winter Haven lot around 6 p.m. We have lots of pictures, videos and details to share in the days to come. But in the meantime, we want you to understand some of the surface-level challenges that went into moving our 2014 DIY Network Blog Cabin.

Although the big trek across Polk County was originally scheduled for a weekend in December 2013, minor hiccups and delays kept pushing our date out even further. You should have heard the Blog Cabin team on the conference call when we had our confirmed move date locked in. Cheers and sighs of relief all around.

Project manager Dylan Eastman shares some of the planning and challenges that went into moving Blog Cabin 2014:

We checked three different routes to the new Winter Haven lakeside lot and even considered using a barge. Ultimately, the route with the least obstacles and inconveniences to the public was chosen. However, the last mile of the (almost) eight mile trip will be the worst, no matter which direction we come from.

Since most of this area has overhead power lines, keeping the house completely intact would require moving six power poles and lifting about 40 lines. The cable and telephone companies would have to be part of the move if moving lines were involved. This was all possible, but extremely costly and an inconvenience to the public who would temporarily lose service during the drive. So, we chose to move the home in pieces.

The house’s main conflict was the width and height. In width, the jogs at the sunroom and dining room, as well as the overhangs, were the limiting factors. Because the sunroom had been a porch filled with windows and paneling, we would already need to reframe those walls to make it truly part of the conditioned space. Since the roof and overhangs were not up to code, those would have to be rebuilt or augmented during the construction phase.

On the second floor, similar issues with the roof structure existed, as well as considerable water and termite damage. In the new design, we had planned on opening up the first floor and extending the second floor, so retrofitting joists and adding beams was already planned. Perhaps the second floor is the most iconic part about this house, and we lamented over the decision of removal. But, ultimately, it made for a more responsive and efficient move.

We are saving items as we can, moving them to the new location and rebuilding the house in its original character. The core of this home remains unchanged. To the casual observer, the temporary removal and rebuilding of these items would not be evident.

Check back tomorrow for more updates and details about the move. Talk to you then.

Now that the house has been taken apart. I am very curious what it will look like put back together and new stuff added to it.
Welcome home little cabin.

Eugenia27 on January 27, 2014 at 2:36 am

Yayyyyyyyy! Our lil cabin is now in her forever home! Fantastic job Dylan and all who were involved. I could only imagine the decisions that had to be made in the cabin's best interest. I know by now you all are ready and raring to go to bring out the beauty and charm of our BC! Thanks for taking such great care of her on the move! I am looking forward to seeing all the pictures and videos of the move Dylan. Thanks again for posting this tonite! xD

jchristie24 on January 27, 2014 at 2:59 am

Bless our sweet little house. She's been through a lot. Almost time for her facelift now.

webwoman on January 27, 2014 at 3:24 am

Looking at the only picture posted so far we can see a few of the decisions that were made. As expected, the rear porch and the upstairs were removed. They looked like they were in bad shape and would have essentially been replaced when they were reframed for new windows anyway. Taking the back porch off seems to confirm that there will be a new section connected there, probably holding two bedrooms. Kind of surprising that the dining room wall needed to be cut off, it only extended about four feet, but it would have been reframed anyway to make it the new entrance. Maybe the entrance will be grander than indicated in the renderings for siding selection.

If you peek between the fork in the tree on the left side, you'll see that much of the original chimney has remained to make the trip. We'll see if the top was lifted off in one piece or if individual bricks will be used to rebuild it. The original foundation contained a lot of bricks; we'll see if they show up as a walk or patio at the lake.

Ralebird on January 27, 2014 at 3:27 am

That's a loooong move for a trip of about 7 1/2 miles! Regardless of which way they went around the lake the distance was about the same unless they had to really detour away from the lake for a while

Ralebird on January 27, 2014 at 3:28 am

Ralebird,

7.5 miles is a long way.

In the late 70's neighbors moved a historic farm house approximately one mile to make room for a new shopping plaza. What a sight to see a house rolling down your street. To this day when I go by that house I always tell my wife and son, "Hey, that house wasn't built there. When I was a kid I saw it rolling down the street". They paid $25,000 to move the house and garage.

The BC isn't as big as the historic farm house but was moved much further so I wonder what it cost to move. Does anyone know if they moved the original garage?

MAOW on January 27, 2014 at 11:10 am

Glad the building arrived safely..look forward to all the photos of the process to come ….;)

LLColeman on January 27, 2014 at 4:14 am

Like Dylan said, "If it's not hard it wouldn't be fun." Well he should really be enjoying himself now.:)

540sam on January 27, 2014 at 5:08 am

wow! glad our little cabin is home safe & sound!

Daffie on January 27, 2014 at 7:13 am

I'm familiar with both the "from" and the "to" sites but I can't imagine the in between. Please post a map with the route shown so we can relate your moving photos with the location.

The original location on E. Main St. had a very steep slope toward the street. I assume you had to move off to the rear and down the alley. What problems did you encounter there? Who was the local company that did the physical move?

Also, since the new site was virgin land from a barely paved road towards a lake shore, please show the work done to build a driveway capable of supporting the weight of the house.

We never did understand where the quonset hut was. We know it was not in Dundee but arial photos don't show it on W Lake Hamilton Rd (Doctor Moody Rd) and we did not see it on our visit to the site. Where was it?

Don Parker on January 27, 2014 at 7:31 am

Use the aerial imaging on 'bing' maps then rotate the image. You'll see the hut very clearly on the SE side of the lot, in a small clearing.

DannyF on January 27, 2014 at 9:09 am

Sorry. It should read SW side. Can't read a compass. :$

DannyF on January 28, 2014 at 1:04 pm

It is hidden behind some bushes on the property.

Snorkle941 on January 28, 2014 at 1:02 pm

Wow! Hope you all are safe too! Let her settle in a little and she'll be soon fit for a lucky winner!^_^

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